Judy Shepard spent the better part of a
decade lobbying for passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd,
Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which is co-named after her son who
was brutally murdered in 1998 by two men he met in a gay bar.

“Regarding the passing of Fred
Phelps, Dennis [Shepard] and I know how solemn these moments are for
anyone who loses a loved one,” she
wrote on Facebook. “Out of respect for all people and our
desire to erase hate, we've decided not to comment further.”